Refrigerating apparatus



Dec. 15, I925- 1,566,255 c. c SPREEN REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Filed Oct. 13, 1923 CHAzzLss C $PELEN INVENTOR/ HTTOIQA EYS paratus and particularly comprises Patented Dec. 15, "1925 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES C. SPREEN, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOE,"BY KESNE ASSIGNMENTB, TO KELVINATOR CORPORATION, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, A OOBPORATION OF MICHIGAN.

' nErmqnn a'rme APPARATUS.

Application filed October 13, 1923. Serial No. 688,858.

.7 ll'whom it mayconcem:

, Be it known that I, CHARLES C. SPREEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Detroit, in the county of \Vayne and State of Michigan, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Refrigerating Apparatus; of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, had to the accompanying drawings.

' This invention relates to refrigerating apto the pressure reducing or expansion valve employed for admitting the refrigerant liquid into the expansion coil at the rate suitable for eflicient refrigeration. The object of this invention is to provide a new and improved valve fO tlllS purpose. In the drawings accompanying this specification and forming a part thereof I have shown, for purposes of illustration, one form which my invention may assume. In these drawings:

Figure 1 represents a central section through this illustrative embodiment of myinvention. I V I The form of my invention herein shown a casing 11 provided with an inlet 12 arranged, to be connected to thecondensing coil of the refrigerating system, let 13 arranged to" be connected to the. ex-

pansion coil of the refrigerating system, a.

cleaning opening 14 afl'ording access to the inlet chamber 49 and normally closed by means of a plug 15, an opening 16 for insertion ofthe valveunit 17 and normallyl closed by means of a plug 18, an annular s oulder 17 and forming a'restricted passage" 20, an an openface 21 means of a plate 22 arranged to support a suitable diaphragm 23 within the diaphragm chamber 24 defined bythe face 21 and the plate 22.

The valve unit 17 herein showncomprises a housing 25 arranged to'be held in posit on within the casing 11 by engagement of screw threads 39 carried by the housing25 Wlth cooperating screw threads 10 carried by the casing 11 and engage the annular shoulder 19 through a packing ring 26 and thus gonnect the aper-.

ture 20 to the a erture avalv'e seat 28 formed integra with the housing 25. T1115 valve unit 17 also includes avalve 29 ar+ rang'ed;.to seat'in and .closeth p ning 27 reference being an out-" adapted to be closed by to cause the valve 29 to when so positioned to tightly V seat 28 the two members may be readily within the valve-seat 28 and supported by means of a triangular member 30 integral.

with the valve- 29 -andu slida-bly mounted w thin the housing 25-. The valve 29 is urged to seating position by a spring 31 compressedbetween a plate 32 which abuts the triangular portion 30 of the valve 29 and an annular plug 33'positioned' within the housing '25 and maintained in position by engagement of its screw threads 34 with cooperating screw threads 35 carried by the housing 25.

The annular plug 33 and the housing 24 are herein shown as provided with recesses 36 and 37 ada ted to be engaged by suitable wrenches whi e the housing 25 is shown as provided with a plurality of. apertures 46 communicating -W1th an annular recess 47 surrounding the valve hous'ng 25 within the casing '11 and itself comm nicating with a passage 48 leading into the inlet chamber 49.

the valve seat 28 against the action of the spring 31 by means of the diaphragm 23 acting in response to the combined influence of a sprin 38 and the change in pressurewithin the iaphragm chamber 24, the spring 38 being mounted within a tubular extension 40 formed integral with the plate 22 and herein shown as partially closed by means ofa plug 41 apertured at 42 to permit pro- The valve 29 is reciprocated away from jection therethrough of a stem 43 secured to a boss 44 mounted upon the rear of the diaphragm 23 while the extension 40 is completely closed by means ofa cap-45 overlymg the extension 40 and the plug 41 and the valve seat 28 and valve 29. However, when there occurs sufiicient' corrosion or deterioration of the valve 29 or valve seat 28 stick to the valve separated without 0 suing the refrigerating system in any way y removmg the cap 45 and pressing on thee en 43 to thus force thediaphragm 23 to operate the valve 49, upon such. corrosion' or within the housing 25 and delay the corrosion and deterioration of of the stem l deterioration as necessitates repair of the valve 29 or valve seat 28 the valve unit 17 may be readily removed without removing the valve assembly from the system by merely removing the cap 18 and inserting a suitable wrench in the recess 37, and upon such corrosion or deterioration as necessitates replacement of the valve 29 or valve seat 28 the valve unit 17 may be similarly removed and then replaced by anew unit without any necessity for replacement of the remainder of the valve assembly.

It will be apparent from the above description that there will be maintained with in the inlet valve 49 and the space within the valve unit 17 a continual swirl of refrigerant fluid which will maintain clean the interior of the valve unit 17; that the valve mechanism may be repaired or removed by merely removin the valve unit 17 without the necessity fhr disconnecting the valve casing from the remainder of the refrigerating system or the expense of replacing the entire valve assembly; and that there is provided a ready means for manually and positively actuating the diaphragm and the valve when the force of the diaphragm has become insufficient to open the valve because of defective action of the valve as because of corrosion.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that the particular forms of my invention herein shown and described may be i,5ee,265

variously modified and changed without departing from the scope of my inventive concept or sacrificing the advantages to be obtained therefrom and it will therefore be obvious that the disclosure herein is illustrative only and my invention not limited thereto.

I claim:

An expansion valve comprising a diaphragm, a casing member having a portion of appreciable thickness and an aperture through said portion, and having also an inner face concentric with said aperture and formed and arranged to closely engage one face of said diaphragm except over the area,

of said aperture, a spring disposed within said aperture having one end engaging the exposed portion of said face of said diaphragm and normally effective to move said diaphragm from said member, an abutment engaging the remote end of said spring, adjusta ly mounted in said aperture, and itself provided with a bore therethrough, an instrument extending through said bore and engaging said diaphragm and effective to forcibly move said diaphragm from said member, and means arranged to normally overlie said bore and said instrument removable to permit operation of said instrument.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto alfix my signature.

CHARLES C. SPREEN. 

